Thibodeau to Gibson: Just keep shooting
Taj Gibson has always been a high-percentage shooter, but this was unchartered territory.
When the circus road trip began, Gibson was among the NBA leaders in field-goal percentage at 60.2 percent. The change this year is that he's become a reliable midrange shooter, playing off Derrick Rose to get a number of open looks.
“I told Derrick yesterday this is something new to me, because in college (at USC), I never really shot a 15-footer,” Gibson said after Wednesday's loss at San Antonio. “Last year I tried a couple of them and now this season I've been shooting them comfortably. Coach has been drawing up plays for me to shoot those shots.”
Somehow, Gibson's shooting touch got misplaced between here and Texas. In the past two games against Houston and San Antonio, he's gone a combined 1-for-16 from the field.
“I'm OK. My whole reaction to everything is to keep playing,” Gibson said. “There are going to be ups and downs. Just keep going. Keep pushing through. Coach told me to keep shooting the shot and just mix it up. There are other things I can do on the court besides just scoring. Do what I do best, rebound the ball and play solid defense.”
When the Spurs went to a smaller lineup at the start of the third quarter Wednesday, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau showed some faith by sticking with Gibson at power forward. The results weren't favorable for the Bulls, since they were outscored 37-12 in the third quarter but it was hardly one player's fault.
“I wanted to see how Taj would respond,” Thibodeau said. “Taj has great feet (defensively). To me, when a guy's not shooting well, I still want him to feel that he can play well. I think that's the next step for Taj.
“Taj, he hasn't shot the ball well in the last two games, but he's played well. I don't want him to measure himself on misses and makes. He can help us a lot of other ways his defense and his rebounding. There are going to be nights when he doesn't shoot well, but he still has to be effective for us.”
Thibodeau's general message to Gibson is just keep shooting, but stay confident.
“He was hesitating. To me, when you're open, shoot,” Thibodeau said. “I want him to stay in motion. I don't want him to stop moving.”
While he's just a second-year NBA player, Gibson has acted more like a seasoned veteran since he first arrived in Chicago as the No. 26 draft pick in 2009. The Bulls have reason to feel confident Gibson will bounce back.
“It's like a human reaction after you miss a couple shots,” he said. “You tend to doubt if you're really feeling it that night; try to be unselfish and get it to the next player. My teammates are behind me and tell me to keep shooting it, get ready for the next one and get back to normal.”
Carlos Boozer has resumed shooting drills, mostly baby hooks as he recovers from a broken right hand. He still has a limited range of motion, though, and isn't likely to play until after the road trip.